Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

The man was perfectly composed. ”Drinking is bad for your health.”

Paige Summers sighed. Fortunately, she just wanted to try something new; it wasn’t like she was an alcoholic, so she let it go. When she saw that no one nearby was paying them any mind, she leaned close to his ear and repeated what she had overheard.

Marcus Monroe dipped his finger in water and wrote ”Summers” on the table. ”Is that what you’re worried about?” he asked.

Paige Summers tilted her head, thinking for a moment. ”Having the same last name is pretty common, isn’t it? That’s not it. I’m just surprised to find Astorians here.”

Marcus Monroe glanced over at The Shaman and Rhonda Rhodes. The two were huddled together, muttering about something, but he and Paige couldn’t hear a word. They were probably discussing how to pinpoint Finn Sherman’s location, or maybe how to get into Districts R1-2. That being the case, he nodded to Paige. ”If you’re curious, we’ll go check it out.”

”Yeah, let’s see what they’re discussing,” Paige said, gesturing toward the private room.

After that, she picked up some more tidbits of information from new patrons arriving at the tavern.

With the frequent Sea Beast riots, some were speculating that an earthquake might hit the island soon. It seemed the Island Master intended to reinforce the defenses in Districts R3-6, while work on Districts R7-10 would be postponed for a while.

Not many people from the latter districts drank here, so most of the patrons were cheering the news. They joked with each other, quipping that at least they wouldn’t be scared impotent by falling bricks while getting it on. Of course, their language was far cruder and was trending toward outright vulgarity.

The more Marcus Monroe listened, the darker his expression became, while Paige Summers, on the other hand, remained quite composed.

’Speaking of which, Rovaria’s adult industry was always pretty well-developed, wasn’t it? It wouldn’t really capture their island-nation flavor otherwise!’

’What she found more amusing was Marcus. Was he really more bothered by dirty jokes than she was?’

As it turned out, the man quickly ordered, ”Cover your ears!”

A smile of realization dawned on Paige’s face.

’Ah, so that’s how it is.’

And so, her smile widened.

A soft cough interrupted the look they were exchanging. The Shaman shot them a disdainful glare. ”Could you two tone it down? We’re here to do a job!”

Paige was instantly dumbfounded.

’The nerve of this guy was unreal. Who was the couple flirting shamelessly in public the moment they arrived on the island? Or did he think she and Marcus were blind and couldn’t see what was going on between him and Rhonda?’

Thankfully, Rhonda Rhodes still had some sense of shame. He cut in awkwardly, ”Let’s get down to business. Um, I’ve put up a ward. We can speak freely now.”

”So, Wade and I have discussed it. Finn Sherman is most likely in District R1. As for going in to find him, you should leave that to the two of us. You and Marcus can find a place to wait for now, or you could even go check out the island’s perimeter. We’ll come find you after we’ve handled it, or we’ll send you a message.”

”It’s not that we don’t trust your abilities, but we’ve heard security is extremely tight in there. It’ll be easier for us to sneak in using Spells. We should avoid a fight if we can. What do you two think?”

Paige and Marcus exchanged a glance.

”We’re fine with that,” she said, ”but we’re worried you might end up short-handed...”

Rhonda Rhodes thought for a moment. ”It shouldn’t be a major issue,” he said, ”but just in case, I’ll give each of you a talisman to keep on you. If the talisman suddenly heats up, that’s the signal we need help. When that happens, just release it, and it will guide you to us.”

”Oh, I see. All right, then.”

Seeing that he and Wade had already made up their minds, Paige didn’t press the issue.

Rhonda Rhodes handed them two very ordinary-looking talismans. After watching them tuck the talismans away safely, he said, ”We’ll head out first, then. We need to prepare to move tonight. You two take care of yourselves.”

”Don’t worry.”

Paige, however, had no intention of leaving.

Rhonda Rhodes and Wade left soon after, but she and Marcus remained seated right where they were.

She didn’t say a word, but Marcus already understood her intention.

Since their teammates didn’t need them, this was the perfect opportunity. They would wait for the people in the private room to emerge and see what was up.

They sat for another hour or so. As the sky began to darken, the people from the private room finally emerged.

Two men.

One older, one younger.

The moment she saw their faces—or more precisely, the moment she saw the younger man’s features—Paige froze.

They walked one after the other down the aisle behind Marcus and toward the exit. Paige’s expression remained neutral as her eyes followed them until they were out of sight.

Paige didn’t move for a long moment. The expression on her face was subtle, her gaze distant and thoughtful.

Marcus couldn’t resist taking her hand. ”Do you actually know him?”

Paige slowly lifted her gaze and said, her words measured, ”The younger one... he looks... a lot like my dad. Even his profile is the same...”

Surprise flickered across Marcus’s face. ”That much of a resemblance?”

”If their ages weren’t so different, I might have actually mistaken him for my father...”

That explanation made everything perfectly clear. Paige let out a breath. ”Let’s talk outside.”

For one, there was no sound-dampening ward, making it a bad place to talk. For another, she had instinctively dusted the young man with a bit of tracking powder. If she waited too long, she was afraid she’d lose him.

The two of them quickly left the tavern as well.

The tracking powder was a medicinal dust with a very faint but highly distinctive scent. According to experiments conducted by Levi Young, Paige was the only one at Bloodfall Base who could detect it, which had made it her signature technique.

Now, she and Marcus walked at a relaxed pace, talking as they followed the scent.

”Probably a cousin of mine or something...”

Paige was referring to the young man from earlier.

Looking so much like Dylan Summers and also sharing the Summers name... to say they weren’t related by blood would be bullshit.

Originally, the Summers Family should have been completely wiped out.

But Paige had just remembered something.

Back then, Ryan Faraday had told her that her grandfather, convinced by Owen Reid that Kingsgate was no longer safe, had prepared to head south to sea. He had even secured a safe island and sent men to garrison it, planning to move all the descendants of the Summers Family there.

But Owen Reid had ambushed and slaughtered them mid-journey, and very few managed to escape.

As a result, when these few survivors reached the coast, the ship that was supposed to meet them never arrived...

’Paige wondered if it was possible. Could this be the very island her grandfather had prepared? And could those two men with the Summers name be the family members he had sent to garrison it?’

’If that were the case,’ she thought, ’then I should kill them!’